Sombrero Reef and Key West Again!

* Marathon, Florida *

Sombrero Reef! We were so excited! Judy and Dave from Freedom invited us to join them and friends Robin and Del from Avalon for a day of snorkeling. David had his gear on board, but Tasha had none. We headed to the local dive shop, and they recommended renting equipment, and for $25 she had all the gear with the 24-hour rental window expanded to 44 hours, so we didn’t have to come back or rush to return. Score!

We left early morning and headed out to Sombrero Reef, about an eight-mile voyage from Marlin Bay Marina. This was our first cruise on Freedom, a beautiful Cruisers Yacht, 45 Cantius. With a sleek design and one level living and cruising space, it was the perfect vessel for us all to be together and enjoy a wonderful day. We arrived early to secure one of the last mooring balls, a must in the reef, and they do go fast! Another boat came and tied off us. The sea floor was about 20’ or less below the water line and the reef was beautiful from aboard Freedom in the sun. The water temperature a refreshing 77 degrees. It was even more beautiful below the water surface.

Fun at the reef!

We are not the most experienced with our GoPro, so we got some shots, but they don’t do the sea floor and reef justice. The colors of the fish are so vibrant and represent all the colors of the rainbow. The water, the protected reef, and the fish were just breathtaking. Our group saw a grouper, barracuda, and lots of small, beautiful fish. The small fish will come right up to you and swim alongside. We were glad the bigger species did not choose to do so.

Dave and Judy from Freedom and Del and Robin from Avalon

The area’s name (Sombrero Reef) is derived from the 142′ lighthouse (Sombrero Lighthouse) which is in the northern section of the Sanctuary Preservation Area region. Sombrero Reef is a 30-acre area reef and very popular to Keys adventurers. The aqua, teal blue waters are what ocean dreams are made of.

We were having a wonderful time, until . . .  Tasha wasn’t. The swells were big this day and Tasha prone to motion sickness, did not prepare for this condition. She never even thought about it as it was a calm day. So thankful Judy had a remedy on board, it took a while to work, since Tasha wasn’t proactive, but at least it worked. There was an hour of two of hanging her head and staring at the horizon. But in the end, all was good. Tasha would do it all over again but be better prepared.

A big thanks to Freedom for including us (and heading in a bit early) and all the crew for helping a sick girl out! What a thrill to enjoy the beauty of our waters during our visit to the Keys! Remy’s friends will be happy to know we were only gone about six hours and she was in the comfort of air conditioning aboard the Now or Never. While she most certainly likes to always be with her family and friends, this 14.5-year-old sleeps a lot, and we know she enjoyed her uninterrupted nap!

The northernly migrant pattern continues as many boats left our marina this past week including our dock mates on both sides. The Now or Never looks lonely.

We had a dinner out with both dock mate crews for a last dinner. We joined Dave (birthday boy) and Debbie from Winds of Change, along with Pam and Doug from Done Doc ’N for a birthday celebration as well as their last hurrah in the Keys. They have both been here since early January and ready to get moving. We enjoyed our time with them and the cruiser camaraderie. We are hopeful our paths will cross again.

Just as our dock mates were leaving, Doug and Kelli from the Ville joined us a couple of days aboard. We spent over five years docked beside each other at our home port and it was great to be with them again.

No Name Bar and Key deer

We ventured to Big Pine Key and found the No Name Bar, just wish the tens of thousands of dollars would find it to our wallets! We then set out to find the Key deer. And we did, many, once we spotted one, there were tons.

Tame and comfortable mixing with people and cars, we found many laying in peoples yards feasting on the green vegetation. We even had our own deer whisperer. We wish we had longer but the Now or Never was gearing up for a visiting crew change.

Joy and Keith from Columbus came for lunch one day. It was a couple hour car cruise on a beautiful day from their Florida home. We went to a local favorite Key Fisheries for fresh off the boat good eats.

Sister Tiffany and husband Mark made the journey from Fort Myers to join us for a few days. New Floridians are enjoying learning more about their state. They had joined us in Clearwater in November, hung with us on their home turf of Fort Myers for January and February and now made their first voyage to the Keys to join us.

Being their first visit to the keys, we loaded up the truck and headed to Key West, the third time in that many weeks for the crew of Now or Never. We stood in line for the southernmost point photo opportunity and then headed down to DuVal Street.

We were true tourists and hit up Hog’s Breath, Irish Kevin’s, Sloppy Joes, all for a drink and a bite, and strolled through a bunch of shops, through Mallory Square, and ate dinner at the El Meson De Pepe for Cuban food – very good!

Each time we visit, we have done something new, but we have now had our fill of the Southernmost city. Our visit to the Keys will come to an end soon and we were soaking up the island life as much as possible.

After our day in Key West, Mark booked a fishing venture and headed out early the next morning.

He loves to fish and couldn’t pass on the opportunity to fish in the beautiful waters of the Keys. Tasha and Tiffany took off on the bikes and ventured onto the 7-mile bridge. They were delighted to see a great deal of marine life from the bridge. They ran from side to side to view Tarpon, Stingrays, star fish, a shark, and a turtle. It was a great viewing day, and they were thrilled with the day. The attempt at photo’s did not turn out. Dave stayed behind and washed the boat, yet again. Ugh salt! We all enjoyed a few hours around the Marlin Bay pool in the afternoon.

Our last adventure together included a trip to the fuel dock, not so fun. The Now or Never took on 180 gallons at $5.30 a gallon (Yikes!). We last filled up on New Year’s Eve on Gasparilla Island for $2.99 a gallon. We didn’t need a lot (we hold 500 gallons) but we wanted to top off prior to motoring through the high rent district of South Florida – Miami, Fort Lauderdale, through West Palm (we’ve seen prices around $8/gallon. As we left the fuel dock, the captain headed west toward 7-mile bridge and ducked underneath the middle and into the Atlantic Ocean.

A first on the Now or Never. We were happy to share it with Tiffany and Mark. Our visits are always too short, we have been planning our next get together and can’t wait!

We again, have had a rocky, windy few days. Tasha and Remy had to leave the boat for few hours as it was just too much. Tasha was very frustrated with not being able to find a place for Remy and her to hunker down on shore, away from the rocking of the boat, the winds, and hot sun. When Tasha asked the marina for assistance with finding a place, she was shut down quickly. No dogs mean no dogs. Frustrating.

We have been aboard nine months now. Somedays it seems much longer, somedays it just seems like we set out on our adventure last week. We’ve learned we can do with a lot less “stuff” in life, tasks are always more complicated on a boat, we can live together 24/7 in a confined space, and we greatly miss those near and dear to us.

With very little travel in the last five months (wintertime siesta), we are ready to get moving. We have one week to wrap up our keys adventure and we will be heading up the East Coast. We will be traveling with Judy and Dave from Freedom for the next few weeks as we navigate the intracoastal waterway up the coast of Florida. It has proven difficult to find dockage for two boats, especially in the high rent district of SE Florida.

We will have to anchor one night near Key Biscayne. We are a bit anxious about our night on the hook and accommodating Remy’s needs. We also have a sharp eye on the weather as we have three days of travel prior to entering the intracoastal waterway near Miami. Hopefully the weather will align with our travels. New horizons on the way!

Cheers! Dave, Tasha, & Remy

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